We bought our current table secondhand for an absolute steal at €70. While the stain wasn’t my first choice, I didn’t realise just how orange it looked until we put our new floors down last year. Ever since, it’s been on the to-do list to re-stain it! The dining area is almost part of the kitchen and as those cabinets are black, I wanted to stain the table light. I had read great things about Osmo oil and I was dying to give it a go! I chose to use one that had a subtle white tint.
What’s First?
You need an electric sander for this job. Sanding by hand would take forever!!!! I bought this sander recently (after my last one broke mid-way through making the utility shelves!) and I loved it! I started off using sandpaper with a grit of 120. This meant that is was rough and it made it easier to remove the previous varnish. As the grit number of the sandpaper goes up, so does the level of smoothness on the finish.
It surprised me, but I actually had to sand the table twice with the rougher sandpaper. You could still see some of the previous stain after only one sand. When I was happy all the orange was gone, I changed to sandpaper grit 320 and went over it all again. It felt so smooth, but it turns out it was the wrong thing to do!
What Went Wrong with the Osmo Oil
I wanted to avoid using two or three products, so I bought Osmo Polyx Oil with a white tint. I didn’t know at the time but if you want the oil to soak in properly, you shouldn’t use sandpaper any finer than 240grit. When I applied the stain, it just sat on top. Even after 20mins, I could just wipe it off clean. So disheartening.
After some research and many YouTube videos, I sanded the table with a 240grit sandpaper and started again.
Let’s Start Over
You will need:
- Osmo Polyx Oil White Tint 3040
- Paintbrush or white, non scratch abrasive pad
- A few microfibre cloths
- Paint stirrer
- Firstly, you hoover the table and wipe it down with microfibre cloth to remove all the sawdust.
- Give the oil a really good stir and continue to stir at regular intervals the whole time.
- Next, I tried to use a white, non abrasive pad to rub the oil in really well and then gently wipe it off with your microfibre cloth. (For me however, this method didn’t work on the first coat. I’m not sure why. I used it for the second coat and it worked really well so I would try the abrasive pad method first. But if that doesn’t work for you either, here’s what you do: Get a little oil on your paintbrush and apply it very thinly, spreading it as much as you can. If you think you have applied it too thickly anywhere, get your microfibre cloth and wipe it away.)
- Don’t touch it for 24hrs.
- It’s time to give a second coat if needed. Even though the colour was perfect, I gave a second coat to the top of the table. I just wanted to make sure there were no patches and to give it extra protection.
- Before you apply the second coat, ‘sand’ the wood down with the non-abrasive pad. Osmo doesn’t recommend sanding after you’ve applied the first coat so this just gets rid of any small bumps gently.
- For the second coat, I used a white, non abrasive pad to rub the oil in really well and then gently wiped it down with a microfibre cloth.
- Let it dry completely. It’s dry after 24hrs but to be honest, I’d give it a few days before using the table to be on the safe side.
This Isn’t the Only Method
While researching for this, the most common method I came across involved applying the oil and buffing it off with either a cloth or an abrasive pad. As I said, for me, this method just didn’t work for the first coat. But maybe it might for you! If you can’t find these pads, I used these ones and it worked perfectly! I gotta say though, whichever method. when I look here at the before and after, I would definitely recommend the Osmo oil.
The second week of the One Room Challenge is complete! I’m delighted that the table is actually looking exactly like the one in my mood board! Next week I’ll be making covers to hide our ugly radiators and I can’t wait to show you!